Taking your own extras reduces both cost and stress

When it comes to hiring a car for your holiday, there are obvious benefits to not hiring the essential extras from the rental company themselves. After all, you’ve already incurred the cost of renting the vehicle in the first place (on top of the whole holiday), so why shell out more money on items you probably own anyway?

If you have small children a child seat will already be in your possession. The average cost of renting one for a week from the rental company is approx. £50 (based on research carried out by iCarhireinsurance.com on the 12 most popular holiday destinations for Brits). This increases to around £85 if holidaying in Italy. Most airlines will allow you to check a child seat into the hold for free.

But saving money isn’t the only reason to bring your own. In the research carried out, 10% of those who have hired a car with a child seat found the seat to be in "poor condition". Furthermore, 13% have had safety concerns about a rented car seat; and only 12% were confident that they had correctly fitted the child’s car seat.

You know your child seat and so does your child. They’re comfortable in it. You know how to fit it. It’s clean and safe. That peace of mind is priceless. You’re on holiday to relax, so worrying about an issue like this is the last thing you want.

The other essential item when driving abroad is a navigation system. Again, there’s a good chance you own one already, but even if you don’t it would be better value to purchase one outright then hire one from the rental company. For one week’s use, prices can range from £30/40 up to £70/80 in some locations. Depending on the model and it’s features, this is equivalent to buying it for yourself.

However, much like the car seat, the financial burden isn’t the only disadvantage. Unfamiliar gadgets can be tricky at the best of times, often requiring a trial and error process before you’re fully comfortable with how they work. Do you really want this when on holiday? If you bring your own you’re already familiar with how it works, meaning you simply switch it on, type in the address and away you go.

In conclusion, saving money is something we all consider when planning a holiday. But it’s the other little things that help to make the trip go smoothly. We go away to escape the stresses of life for a little while, so by following these tips you can focus on the most important thing: having a great time.